Looking into Hikawa Campground

I've been slowly researching campgrounds and hot springs you can get to without a car, kind of like a little series. This time it's the Okutama area in Tokyo.

Today I looked into Hikawa Campground. I'm an indoor person and a paper driver (I have a license but basically never drive), so the fact that you can walk there from the station caught my eye, and I read through the official site page by page.

The Short Version

It's on a riverbed about a 5-minute walk from JR Okutama Station, and you can choose between tent camping on the free sites or staying in a lodge or bungalow, which feels reassuring for someone without a car.
As for Rakuten Mobile, the official tool gave it a C rating.

I've put the details below.

A Riverside Campground 5 Minutes from the Station: The Basics at a Glance

It's a campground in Okutama Town, Nishitama District, Tokyo, and apparently it's run by Okutama Sogo Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. The official page seems to be one of several facility pages within the operating company's website (official Hikawa Campground page).

Check-in and check-out: Check-in is at 14:00 and check-out is at 10:00. The last arrival is at 16:00, though that seems to change depending on the day of the week and the season.
Regular closing days: From April 2026, it's closed every Thursday, and apparently you can't stay overnight on the Wednesday before either. On the other hand, the official top page seemed to list roughly late July to late August and mid-October to late December as periods with no closing days. I couldn't confirm the overall annual operating season on the official site.
Price guide: Day camping starts at ¥1,500 per person, and tent camping starts at ¥2,000 per person per night. For the lodging units, a 2-person bungalow in the low season seemed to start at ¥5,500 per unit per night.
Reservations: Online only, and it looks like you go from the official site to the booking system. Apparently phone reservations and tentative bookings aren't available.
Payment: Cash at check-in, and apparently cards only work for glamping.

Komorin

Online-only booking looked like a nice setup to me, since I'm not great with phone calls. That said, the way the closing days and no-closure periods are written is a bit complicated, so I think it's best to check the dates on the official site before going.

Open Fires on the Riverbed, and Three Types of Lodges and Bungalows to Stay In

According to the official top page, open fires directly on the ground are allowed at the riverbed free sites, so you can enjoy BBQ and campfires. However, if you have a campfire or eat and drink on the riverbed within the managed area, you apparently need to settle up for a day-use plan. You can use the riverbed from the day you stay until 10:00 the next morning, and after that it seems day-use fees apply.

It looked like there are three main types of lodging.

Glamping lodge: It has an open-air bath, and bedding is provided for the loft sleeping area. There also seem to be plans that include meals.
Lodge: It has a toilet, a fridge, and a kitchen, and it seems futons and blankets are provided.
Bungalow: There are 19 units in total, and apparently they have power outlets. The toilets and showers are shared, and bedding seems to be a paid rental.

According to the price list, lodges start at ¥32,000 in the low season, and glamping lodges start at ¥60,000 without meals and ¥75,000 with meals (from the price list revised in July 2025).

As an indoor person, what caught my attention was the barbecue house you can use even when it rains. The usage fee is apparently included in the lodging price, but tent campers can't use it. There's also a cafe called Kuara on the grounds, which seems to be a renovated version of the former shop. Hot showers are ¥200 for 3 minutes, and there also seem to be rentals and sales of firewood, charcoal, stoves, and so on.

Lots of Items You Can't Bring, So Here's What to Check Beforehand

The official top page listed several prohibited items and activities.

Bringing in firewood or charcoal
Generators and tent saunas
Musical instruments, speakers, and playing music
Sleeping in your car, and bringing pets

Since you can't bring your own firewood or charcoal, it sounds like you'd buy or rent them on site. For cancellation fees, for lodging units it's free if you cancel 8 or more days ahead, 80% of the lodging fee for 7 to 2 days before, and 100% for the day before, the day of, or a no-show. Cancelling a tent stay seems to be free.

The maximum capacity is 15 people for overnight stays, 35 for day use, and 35 for both combined. I couldn't confirm the number or size of tent sites, the number and facilities of the cooking areas and toilets, or the detailed prices for day camping and tent sites on the official site. If you're curious, it might be reassuring to check before booking.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

I entered this facility's location into the official “my Area Connectivity Simulation” to check. The overall rating showed up as “C”.

If you have things you need a connection for, like watching videos or handling work messages, it might be reassuring to prepare offline maps and information beforehand.

If you're worried about the signal, you can also check it yourself with Rakuten Mobile's official “my Area Connectivity Simulation”.

Komorin

Since the rating was C, I think it's better not to rely completely on the signal. If I just accept it as a day to stay away from the internet a bit and watch a campfire on the riverbed, that could be a pretty good time in its own way.

See Rakuten Mobile Details

Getting There by Train or by Car

If you go by train, it's apparently about a 5-minute walk from JR Okutama Station. It's also roughly 2 hours by train from Shinjuku, which is a great location for a paper driver like me.

If you go by car, you take Ome Kaido, pass through the Shin-Hikawa Tunnel (605 m long), turn left at the Okutama Station Entrance traffic light about 200 m further on, cross the bridge, and the entrance gate is on the left. For parking, you use the neighboring town-run parking lot and pay the staff at the entrance gate. The fee for a standard car is ¥700 per day on weekdays, and ¥1,200 per day on holidays and on weekdays from July to September (from April 2026). If you come by car, you must reserve the parking option. You can't book parking alone, and in that case it seems you'd use the town-run lot on a first-come, first-served basis on the day. I couldn't confirm the number of spaces on the official site.

As a related facility of the operating company, the official site also had a link to the Hikawa International Trout Fishing Spot. I haven't confirmed how far away it is, though.

Wrapping Up

Looking back over everything, my impression of Hikawa Campground is that it's a campground on a riverbed about a 5-minute walk from JR Okutama Station, where you can choose between tent camping on the free sites or staying in a lodge or bungalow, and which seems easy to reach even without a car.

There seems to be a wide range of ways to stay, including open-fire campfires and BBQ, a barbecue house you can use even in the rain, and glamping lodges with open-air baths. On the other hand, rules like the ban on bringing firewood and charcoal and the online-only booking are things I'd want to check in advance. For Rakuten Mobile, the official tool gave a C rating. If you have plans that need a connection, it might be reassuring to prepare a little extra.

For the latest operating days and prices, I think it's best to check the official site.

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